Could Trestman sit Cutler, Forte and others?

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler celebrates a touchdown by Bears running back Michael Bush in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013, in Cleveland. Chicago won 38-31.

Video: Trestman on calling plays

Bob LeGere

If the Lions lose Sunday afternoon and fall to 7-8, and the Packers win and move to 8-6-1, the outcome of the Bears-Eagles game that night is meaningless to the 8-6 Bears. Win or lose against Philly, the Bears would still have to defeat the Packers in Week 17 to win the NFC North and earn a playoff berth.

"Right now, we're focused on a winning a game," Trestman said. "I don't think there's really anything else to discuss at this time. At 7 o'clock Sunday night, if the situation needs to be re-evaluated again, it's open for discussion.

"Right now, logically, not a minute has gone by where we've thought about (changing the approach). The only thing we're thinking about is finding one more way to beat the Eagles and put our team in the best position to have success on Sunday night."

They heard it:

The Bears made it a point last week to publicly address the "noise" all around Halas Hall regarding the switch from Josh McCown to Jay Cutler as the starting quarterback.

The question this week was: Why address it at all?

"Because you guys asked about it," Cutler told the media. "It would be foolish just to lie and say we weren't aware of it. That's unreasonable. Everyone's human in this building.

"Another reason to acknowledge it is the guys did such a great job of handling it. We were able to hear it, deal with it in our own certain way and move on and get the job done on Sunday."

Cutler said players and staff have taken a businesslike approach all season to blocking out distractions and focusing on the task at hand.

"I don't think the locker room has felt different, in my mind, since Week 1, even when I was down and Josh was up," Cutler said. "From the coaching staff on down, (it's) a real even-keeled locker room, real even-keeled coaches. When things are going good or things are going bad, it's work first. Let's get the job done. Let's find a way for each and every week."

Comfort level:

Now that he's got last week's solid performance (102.2 passer rating) under his belt, quarterback Jay Cutler doesn't have as much pressure to perform at the lofty level his backup, Josh McCown, did the previous four weeks.

"I feel pretty good," Cutler said. "I feel kind of at ease. We've got a real good plan this week. The guys on offense are playing at about as high of a level as I think you could play, so it makes it easy for me. Just find the open guy. The offensive line has done a great job all year, and they're still doing a great job of protecting me."

Cutler also credited assistant offensive line coach Pat Meyer and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer for "coming up with good protection plans."

By the numbers:

The Bears have 5,507 total yards and need 331 to eclipse the franchise record of 5,837 set in 1995. ... They have scored 406 points and need 51 to pass the 1985 team that holds the franchise record of 456. ... This year's 29 TD passes -- 16 by Jay Cutler and 13 by Josh McCown -- have tied the franchise record (1947 and 1995).

He's back:

Safety Sean Cattouse was signed to the practice squad Thursday after one day away.

The Bears' native and Hubbard High School graduate spent most of the season on the practice squad, played in Week 13 and was active for three games before he was waived on Wednesday.

Get articles sent to your inbox.

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.